Strong health care systems start with strong pipelines. In West Philadelphia, a collaboration between the Wharton School and Penn’s Netter Center for Community Partnerships teams up local high school students with Penn undergraduates to help build the next generation of health care leaders.
The program begins in an unexpected way: through movement-based bonding. In “Leading the Health Care Workforce,” an Academically Based Community Service course, Penn undergraduates partner with West Philadelphia high school students from the University-Assisted Community Schools network. Over the semester, students interested in health careers build relationships and explore pathways into the medical workforce.
“There is a science to creating connection, and that is what we do in this course,” says Marissa King, PhD, the Wharton School Professor of Health Care Management who teaches the course. “Whether it is through shared activities and synchronization in dance or by creating psychological safety through trust-building.”
These experiences feed into a broader educational pathway. Through the Educational Pipeline Program, a joint initiative of Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine and the Netter Center, students gain continued mentorship and preparation for careers in health care.
“One goal of the course was to help address urgent workforce shortages by equipping Penn students entering health care with effective, sustainable strategies, while simultaneously strengthening the local pipeline of future health care professionals by working with partner high school students,” continued King.
“In past years, we’ve worked with Penn Medicine to connect students to full-time positions by preparing them through interviews and résumé workshops. Between 2022 and 2024, 16 high school graduates were hired.”